This is excellent as we can start and people can contribute without any new infrastructure (other than some programming on your part). The download library archive can come later when/if we have the need, technology and energy. To start, everyone needs to inventory their collections and decide whether they can volunteer to provide copies of their boot floppies. How better to start the New Year!

Bill, if your willing to
brainstorm a bit on data requirements, I'd be happy to make some of my
initial documentation available, along with some disk
images.

Kelly

Here is my plan for a boot disk archive:

1) A person goes to a central location to review a comprehensive list of
all boot disks available in the archive

2) The person scans the list and then contacts the library/archivist to
request a copy of the diskette(s)

3) The archivist acts as a go-between for the requestor, and contacts the
person(s) who have agreed to burn a copy of the requested boot disk

4) In one form or another the requestor gets confirmation and an address
to send a SASE containing a blank diskette of the required media.

5) The archivist or associate of the archive makes a copy of the
requested boot disk using the disk sent by the requestor and mails it
back in the SASE. It is presumed that the disk is tested on the type of
system native to the boot disk or the equivalent.

6) A friendly request for a donation to MARCH (the archivists) is also
included?

I like the idea of an Internet resource for downloading boot disks, but
it would be so much easier if they disks were burned directly from the
original system rather than converted back and forth. Some boot disks are
just too hard to transfer to and from the Internet. It's so much easier
to test on the real McCoy as well. In addition to being a good hobbyist
citizen it's good to exercise these systems, keeping them in working
order by making boot disks.

I would be willing to participate in such a project as coordinator/ list
maintainer via the marchclub.org web site. I probably will
move forward and set something up, but I am busy and it may be a few
months before I am ready. In the mean time, please feel free to
email me directly if you're interested in being being a supplier of boot
disks, and what systems, and what OS/versions you have.